Emmaus boys lacrosse team perfect in April

But to Emmaus coach Scott Ketcham and Green Hornets senior Garrett Miers, it was a turning point for their season. Emmaus lost to Nazareth that day, 9-8 in overtime.

"I think it opened up our eyes," said Miers, a goaltender and team captain who will play collegiately at Lehigh University. "We thought we were a lot better than we really were. Since then, we've worked harder, been more focused and disciplined, and stayed level-headed."

The Green Hornets lost their next game, too, this one a respectable 5-4 setback to perennial state power Manheim Township of District Three on March 28. They were 1-2 overall.

April, though, has been the month of Emmaus boys lacrosse.

Ketcham's crew is a perfect 10-0 in April, including a 13-3 victory over Cumberland Valley of District Three on Monday in Mechanicsburg. It was the Green Hornets' fourth road game against a team from outside of District 11.

Emmaus is 11-2 overall and 6-1 in Lehigh Valley Conference play entering Tuesday's home contest against winless Bethlehem Catholic.

"We asked ourselves, 'Who are we?' " Ketcham said of a team meeting after the Nazareth game. "Even though it was early in the season, from coaches to players, we felt like something was missing. And we made a decision to change things for the better."

The Green Hornets are perhaps the most complete team in the LVC. Their strength is a stingy defense. They also feature a capable offense with excellent balance.

Miers and all-conference defenseman Corey Hill anchor a skilled unit that yields 3.2 goals per game in conference action and has not allowed an opponent to score 10 goals in a game this season. The offense is led by attacker Drew Phillipes and midfielder Marc Feldman, who had combined for 66 points entering Monday's game. Three other players have scored 20-plus points.

Nathan Kraemer is the team's outstanding faceoff specialist.

"I give our defense a lot of credit," Miers said. "We have a lot of talent and we're all great friends so we communicate really well."

Ketcham is stressing one game at a time, but Emmaus is aiming for a sixth consecutive conference championship. Another goal is a district title after back-to-back years of missing out on the state playoffs.

"I think mostly the goal is not looking ahead and taking it one game at a time," said Miers, taking the cue from his coach. "But this is my senior year and we haven't won districts since I was a freshman. It's been tough. We want to try and redeem ourselves."

Leading Lioness

One of the positives of Moravian Academy's first season as a varsity program has been the standout play of freshman Ashley Ender.

Ender is second on this week's list of top girls' goal-scorers in District 11 with 48. It's a staggering total, especially considering her Lions have played just seven games this season — or five fewer than the No. 1 goal-scorer has played, Kelsey Carlon of Parkland, who has 50 goals through 12 games.

"Ashley's an all-around player," Moravian Academy coach Julie Madden said. "She's proven to be a great leader and she's a really great kid.

"She started playing the sport when she was 8 and she plays club lacrosse toward the Philadelphia area. ... She's a lot more experienced than most of our girls. But she doesn't act like our best player. Ashley is a great teammate who's always positive."

More than half of the 24 players on Moravian Academy's varsity roster are playing the sport this year for the first time, according to Madden.

The Lions, who compete as an independent, are 1-6 overall. Their lone victory was a 13-12 triumph over Freedom on April 4. They lost last week to Liberty, 11-10.

"I'm absolutely pleased with the progress of our skills and the way we're coming together as a team," said Madden, who played lacrosse in college and has officiated high school games. "This is our first year as a program and we're playing a varsity schedule. We've had some unfortunate illnesses and injuries, but several JV players have stepped in and done a really nice job."

Ground balls

Central Catholic's boys (8-4 overall, 4-3 LVC) won their seventh straight game with a 13-4 victory Friday over Saucon Valley. Ryan Beville led the Vikings with four goals. The two-time defending District 11 champions play Parkland (10-2, 6-2) Tuesday at Iron Lakes in a key conference contest. …